Hand tool

ABSTRACT

A hand tool for removing guttering from houses, buildings and the like and for installing new guttering on the same. The hand tool comprises an angle iron which has gripping means mounted on both ends and an elongated handle. The hand tool is used by placing a block of wood or other fulcrum member on the roof surface and applying a downward pressure on the proximal end portion of the handle which extends across the fulcrum member resulting in a removing force being applied to the angle iron which intersects the lip portion of the guttering.

United States Patent Beaumont HAND TOOL [76] Inventor: Peter W. Beaumont, 6806 1st Ave.

N., Birmingham, Ala. 35206 [22] Filed: Jan. 6, 1975 [211 Appl. No.: 538,606

52 US. c1.....' 29/239; 29/267 [51] Int. Cl. B231 19/04 [58] Field of Search 29/239, 267, 275, 278-, 81/303, 424, 425 A, 426

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,641,149 6/1953 Petersen 81/425 R 3,202,023 8/1965 Parker 81/425 R 3,572,187 3/1971 Glassburn 81/420 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,292,409 3/1962 France 254/131 f 12 \29 19A 25 30 L 758,324 11/1933 France 254/131 Primary Examiner-James L. Jones, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Woodard, Weikart, Emhardt & Naughton [5 7] ABSTRACT A hand tool for removing guttering from houses, buildings and the like and for installing new guttering on the same. The hand tool comprises an angle iron which has gripping means mounted on both ends and an elongated handle. The hand tool is used by placing a block of wood or other fulcrum member on the roof surface and applying a downward pressure on the proximal end portion of the handle which extends across the fulcrum member resulting in a removing force being applied to the angle iron which intersects the lip portion of the guttering.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec.16,1975 Sheet 1 of 3 3,925,871

US. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet 2 of3 3,925,871

US. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet3of3 3,925,871

HAND TOOL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to hand tools generally and to tools which use gripping means in combination with a fulcrum and lever to increase a force at the point of application.

2. Background of the Invention As is well known, the guttering which customarily surrounds the periphery of the roofs of houses and other such buildings must periodically be cleaned, repaired and even replaced. As can be appreciated, the physical operation of installing or removing guttering is both dangerous and time consuming. Most guttering is held in place by long guttering spikes which are driven into the caves of the roof. After loosening and removing the spikes, the workman must then not only hold the guttering but also maintain his balance either at the edge of the roof or at the top of a ladder. This is of course very hazardous. The danger is increased by some types of guttering found in certain sections of the United States and especially the southern portions of the United States where the guttering has an extended return portion which is nailed to the roof decking underneath the shingles. By use of the hand tool of this invention the danger to workmen is minimized because after the spikes are loosened or even removed the guttering itself can be removed by the workmen while standing near the apex of the roof and well removed from the edge. The hand tool of this invention is especially useful in removing the old type guttering having the extended return portion as after the spikes have been removed the smaller nails can be removed simultaneously by the pressure from the hand tool of this invention. By using the hand tool of this invention, a workman can stand at the apex of the roof and merely place a fulcrum member part of the way down the roof and then by using the hand tool may remove large sections of the guttering with a single downward push.

An additional problem relating to the removal of guttering from buildings is in the application of force by a large tool. When large crowbars or other such tools are used to pry loose guttering from the eaves of a house or other building, a problem has been encountered in that the guttering which is generally made from aluminum buckles, breaks or cracks. This deformation occurs because at individual points along the length of the guttering the strength of the guttering is not sufficient to withstand the force necessary to remove the spikes and nails. However, by use of the hand tool of this invention, the removal force is applied along a length of the guttering and therefore allows a spreading of the force and prevents unnecessary buckling and deforming of the guttering.

A different, but related, problem deals with the installation of guttering on houses and especially two story houses. Again, this requires the workman to stand or kneel at the edge of the roof in order to hammer the nails and spikes into place which hold the guttering firmly to the eaves of the house. As in the removal operation, this can be dangerous and time consuming. Therefore, by using the hand tool of this invention, the guttering can be held by the gripping members of the hand tool and maintained in the proper alignment while the nails and spikes are driven in. This method is far superior to previous methods of installing guttering in that it allows both hands of the person nailing the guttering to be free for use holding and hammering the spikes and nails. Traditionally, a person installing the guttering has had to use a foot or other body part to hold the guttering in place while both hands were used in holding the nail and hammering. A hand tool such as this is of great practical importance to people involved in the guttering industry in that it makes their jobs both easier and safer in addition to allowing for a significant time savings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a hand tool for use in the removal of guttering from buildings and the like comprising an angle iron member which is sized appropriately to allow the distal edge of the angle iron member to engage the lip portion of a piece of a length of guttering. An elongated handle member is attached to the angle iron member at right angles. Gripping members are mounted on both ends of the angle iron member with the gripping members being mounted in such a manner that when the angle iron member has engaged the lip portion of the gutter the gripping members can be locked onto the gutter to prevent slipping or buckling of the gutter during removal.

It is an object of this invention to provide a hand tool which will allow workman and repairman to remove and install gutting while minimizing the necessity of working at the edge of the roof.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a hand tool which allows the gripping and holding of guttering prior to and after its installation or removal from the eaves of a house or other building.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a hand tool which can be used to remove or install guttering without causing unnecessary deformation or buckling of the guttering.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a sectional side view of the hand tool of this invention without gripping members as it is used on the roof of a building having guttering with an extended return portion.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the use of the hand tool of this invention with standard guttering without the extended return portion.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the hand tool of this invention including the gripping means but including only a portion of the handle.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a portion of the hand tool of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the hand tool of this invention including the gripping means as they engage the lip portion of guttering.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a portion of the hand tool of this invention showing the gripping means mounted in an alternative fashion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of 3 the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein, being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

The hand tool of this invention comprises a handle 11, an angle iron member 12, and gripping means 13. For most uses of the hand tool 10 a fulcrum member 14 is also used. The handle 11 may be made of any of the standard materials used in making handles, such as wood, metal tubing or other material of suitable strength, although strength is important since handle 11 is to be used as a lever and thus a significant amount of stress is applied to it. The length and diameter of the handle are not critical and may be varied depending on the individual workman or the type of job to be accomplished. In standard practice, a handle 1 l of from about 4 feet to about 10 feet in length is preferred.

Angle iron member 12 is attached to handle 11 at point 15. The attachment at point may be permanent as illustrated in the drawings as by welding or in the alternative, may be removably attached at point 15 as by co-acting threaded members. Whether the handle 11 is removable from the angle iron member 12 is a matter of convenience to the individual user, and is generally dictated by the availability of storage space and transportation convenience.

Although the angle of attachment 26 may be varied to suit individual needs and may even be linear, it is preferred that angle of attachement 26 be from to about 45. The angle iron member 12 may be of any length or size desired by the user. However, some practical guidelines are generally observed. These are, first that the angle iron must be of an overall width and size to enable it to be used effectively in guttering, and secondly the angle iron member 12 should be of a length small enough to allow it to fit inbetween the spikes 18 which are normally used to mount guttering 17. These limitations are not, however, critical and a hand tool manufactured larger or smaller than these can be practical for some area of use although in general much larger sizes would result in a tool which would be so heavy and large as to be extremely cumbersome for a single individual to manipulate.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, gripping means 13 are fixedly attached to both ends 19A and 19B of angle iron member 12. The gripping means can be attached in a variety of ways including both horizontal and vertical. Both horizontal and vertical at tachment of gripping means 13 provides adequate sur face area for engaging guttering 17. The gripping means are vice grips which are lockable pliers freely available on a commercial basis. These gripping means 13 can be used to hold angle iron member 12 firmly in place once it has engaged guttering 17. In the use of this hand tool, a principle of leverage is used which normally requires a fulcrum member 14. Fulcrum member 14 can be any raised object on which the handle 11 can rest. Preferably it is a block of wood having a cross-sectional area approximately 8 inches by 8 inches. This provides enough leverage for the removal of most gutters.

Most guttering 17 consists of a vertical back 22 connected to a curved front 23 by bottom 21. Curved front 23 has a lip portion 24 which is engaged by hand tool 10 and specifically the distal edge 20 of angle iron member 12 during the removal of the guttering. Most 4 traditional guttering is mounted by driving a guttering spike 18 through the lip portion 24 of the gutter 17 through a ferrule 25 and into the eave 27 of the roof 28. Additional smaller nails 29 may be used to give a more permanent mount. In some areas of the United States, and specifically in the southern portions of the United States the vertical back 22 of guttering 17 is extended to include a return member 30. Return member 30 is mounted both to the eave 27 of the house and also to the decking 31 of the roof 28. Some of the nails 29 mounting return member 30 are underneath the shingles 32. This, of course, makes removal very difficult. In use, the hand tool of this invention would normally be used by first placing the fulcrum member 14 at a point intermediate to the guttering 17 and the position 33 where the workman would normally stand. The hand tool 10 is then inserted into the lip portion 24 of the curved front wall 23 of guttering 17 after the spikes 18 have been loosened or removed. If gripping means 13 are present, they are locked onto lip portion 24. The handle member 11 is then rested on fulcrum member 14. The workman can then position himself at 33 on roof 28 which would correspond to the proximal end 16 of handle 11 and apply a downward force to said handle 11. This downward force will cause an outward and upward pressure to be exerted on the guttering 17 resulting in the removal of said guttering. Previous problems encountered with buckling of the guttering and difficulty in access to the nails are thereby avoided. The guttering is then held by gripping means 13 and can either be dropped to the ground or else pulled in by the workman until the gripping means 13 are released.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawing and foregoing description, the same is to be considered illustrative and not restrictive in character it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims are also desired to be protected.

What is claimed is:

1. A hand tool for use in the removal of guttering from buildings and the like comprising:

a. an angle iron member, said angle iron member being sized appropriately to allow the distal edge of said angle iron member to engage the lip portion of a gutter;

b. an elongated handle member attached to said angle iron member, the long dimension of said handle member being mounted at substantially right angles to the long dimension of said angle iron member; and

c. gripping members mounted on both ends of said angle iron members, said gripping members being mounted in such a manner that when said angle iron member has engaged said lip portion of said gutter said gripping members can be locked onto said gutter to prevent slipping or buckling of said gutter during removal.

2. The hand tool of claim 1 wherein said handle is re movably attached to said angle iron member.

3. A method for removing guttering from buildings and the like comprising:

a. placing a fulcrum member on a roof in a position such that when the distal edge of the hand tool of claim 1 is in position to engage the lip portion of a gutter a man of ordinary height is able to grasp the proximal end of said handle member;

i6 vd. placing siaid handle member across said fulcrum member; and e. applying a downward force to said proximal end of said handle resulting in the removal of said gutter. 

1. A hand tool for use in the removal of guttering from buildings and the like comprising: a. an angle iron member, said angle iron member being sized appropriately to allow the distal edge of said angle iron member to engage the lip portion of a gutter; b. an elongated handle member attached to said angle iron member, the long dimension of said handle member being mounted at substantially right angles to the long dimension of said angle iron member; and c. gripping members mounted on both ends of said angle iron members, said gripping members being mounted in such a manner that when said angle iron member has engaged said lip portion of said gutter said gripping members can be locked onto said gutter to prevent slipping or buckling of said gutter during removal.
 2. The hand tool of claim 1 wherein said handle is removably attached to said angle iron member.
 3. A method for removing guttering from buildings and the like comprising: a. placing a fulcrum member on a roof in a position such that when the distal edge of the hand tool of claim 1 is in position to engage the lip portion of a gutter a man of ordinary height is able to grasp the proximal end of said handle member; b. engaging the lip portion of said gutter with the distal edge of said angle iron member; c. locking said gripping means into place such that the hand tool of claim 1 is fixedly attached to said gutter; d. placing said handle member across said fulcrum member; and e. applying a downward force to said proximal end of said handle resulting in the removal of said gutter. 